My Iron Lung
by Greenfang
Summary: How would the Evangelion world have been affected had Rei answered Asuka's first question differently? How can polar opposites find common ground against the tide of Gendo's machinations? How will Shinji react? Please read on and find out!
1. bulletproof i wish that i was

**My Iron Lung**

An Evangelion fanfic by Greenfang

Gainax owns Evangelion and all related characters and merchandise. Me? I own a clunky old computer and a Hungarian Viszla (its a dog) called Sakura. Although there is currently no merchandise available for her, that could change at a later date. :-)

Radiohead own the song titles that I have used for the fic and first chapter. I've used them because they inspired the first scene and the general idea for this story. An Iron Lung being a method of keeping people alive who were unable to breathe on their own. It seemed a reasonable metaphor for the Children (and several other characters) and their relationship with the Eva program.

If Gainax or Radiohead object to the use of their property in this story, I will happily remove it.

Any OOC in the first section will hopefully be explained as the story progresses.

N.B. Language warning for the first section.

**Chapter 1**

**bulletproof...i wish that i was **

**-------------------------------------------**

Rei Ayanami threw herself to the floor as a spray of bullets cracked just over her head.

"Ayanami! Get behind the fucking wall!" Asuka screamed at her from where she was crouched.

That had been way too close. Rei quickly scrambled behind the cover of the kitchen supplies store wall. Trying as hard as she could above the constant blast of gunfire she attempted to collect her thoughts and take stock of their increasingly untenable situation.

It had all happened much too quickly. One second they had been wandering unconcernedly through a shopping mall on the western edge of Tokyo-3, the next they were fighting and running for their lives from an unknown number of assailants. The other shoppers and ordinary citizens of Tokyo-3 had scattered leaving the three Children alone and at the mercy of the black-clad men pursuing them. There had been no prelude and no attempt at communication. They had simply been attacked without any warning or provocation.

Their attackers had continued driving them like prey animals towards this dead end cul de sac in the southern end of the mall. Skilfully they had separated Shinji from the two girls. What they wanted with Shinji and why they had been driven apart from each other was a mystery to Rei. One thing that was clear though was that they were hopelessly outgunned and outnumbered. It had to be merely a matter of time until they were killed.

Across the other side of the mall she watched Asuka firing her gun constantly at their attackers from behind the cover of a small newsstand. Rei had no comprehension of German, but there was no doubt as to the Redhead's meaning as a rain of Teutonic curses was interspersed with her gunfire.

She checked her own handgun. How Major Katsuragi had managed to procure them for the Children she couldn't even begin to imagine. But there it lay in her own small, pale hand. 'STEYR M9' was stamped on the barrel. She had no idea what that meant. But I was obvious that its purpose was to bring death. She stared at the weapon in sick fascination. It was so heavy and black. So very real. Could she actually bring herself to bring that death upon an actual Human Being?

More bullets crashed into the wall next to her and pulverised the crockery display by her side, showering the blue haired girl with powder and fragments of porcelain.

"Ayanami, cover me!" Asuka yelled across at her. "I've got to reload!"

As Asuka rummaged in her backpack for more ammunition Rei set her face in a look of grim determination. Clicking the safety off as the Major had shown her Rei took a deep breath and quickly leaned out from behind the cover of the wall and fired twice at the men in dark suits that were crouched around various positions of cover around the opening of the food court attached to the mall. Ducking back into safety and with her hand smarting from the recoil of the weapon, Rei's eyes narrowed.

There was no doubt now about whom their attackers were and who had sent them. She even recognised several of them. These men had been following her all of her young life. Section 2. The men were from Section 2. NERV internal security.

The commander had sent them to kill the children. More specifically to kill her.

She stuck her head back around the wall and fired three more shots. One of the men collapsed from where he was crouching like a puppet with its strings cut. She leaned back against the wall and wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt. She had just killed a man. She had broken the most fundamental law and commandment of any human society. Strangely, to her mind, she felt almost nothing. It was like she was watching it all from the outside. Emotionally unaffected. Just like she had used to have been.

"Well done Wondergirl!" Shouted Asuka from her vantage point. Gun now reloaded."We'll make a number one fighter of you yet! Ahhh.... Sheiss!"

The redhead clutched at her side and collapsed against the back of the newsstand. Bright red blood quickly seeped between her fingers and stained her school uniform as she cursed and struggled back onto her knees.

"Soryu!"

"I thought I've told you before," Asuka hissed through gritted teeth." to call me Asuka!"

Another fusillade of bullets slammed into the newsstand Asuka was sheltering behind.

"Is that the best you've got?" She screamed back at them, her voice ragged. "Eat this!"

She attempted to get off another volley of shots but was driven back to the cover of the low wall by the ferocity of the barrage from the gathered section 2 men.

"Dammit." Asuka said wincing, sweat forming on her pallid face. Breathing harshly she rested her back against the wall.

Rei could see that the German girl was beginning to weaken. A small butterfly of panic cut through the adrenaline. Without the strength and determination of the redhead she knew that it wouldn't take long for the agents to overwhelm her. She had to get over to her. She would not let Asuka die alone. Also, though even Rei would not admit it to herself, the thought of being isolated from human contact when her own end came scared her more than the thought of that end itself.

The firing from the food court towards their position had subsided temporarily. Hopefully that meant the Section 2 men were reloading or regrouping at that moment. Either way, this could be her only chance.

Without further thought she stepped out from her hiding place and fired four rapid shots towards their attackers. Then she made a frantic dash across to Asuka's position. Although it was only a matter of three or four steps, they were the longest and most difficult steps of Ayanami's short life. The air around her became filled with flying lead. Feeling like she was moving through molasses she struggled towards Asuka's position. She could see the girl's eyes wide with astonishment at her reckless actions.

'Almost there' she thought to herself, diving for cover. Strangely her right arm had gone limp and she could no longer feel the gun in her fingers as she slid across the floor for the remaining few metres and crashed headlong into her injured fellow pilot.

"Nice one Ayanami!" Asuka rasped at her as she attempted to get up from her prone position. "Was losing your gun a tactic to lull them into a false sense of security? Or maybe you didn't think that I was quite wounded enough?"

Rei apologised as she sat up next to Asuka. Her useless right arm was no longer numbed but beginning to throb quite painfully. A bullet had ripped open her upper arm at the bicep and exited out the back of her arm. Blood was pouring from the ragged wound and running freely down her forearm. Her gun lay out in the open a mere metre and a half from where she sat. Any attempt to venture out into the gap to retrieve it now would bring certain death.

"Rei?" Asuka's voice was thick with pain and concern."You're wounded? Are you okay?"

Ayanami smiled briefly at her companion. Rei was not the only one to have changed in these past few months.

"I am fine Soryu... Asuka. Although my right arm seems not to want to work for me at this moment."

"Idiot." Asuka said without venom. "What did you think you were doing anyway?"

"I.. " Rei began before being drowned out by a fresh burst of gunfire." I did not want to die alone." She said simply

Asuka tried to speak but seemed not to be able to find the words. Swallowing painfully she tried again.

"Thank you. I... I don't want to die alone either."

She leaned her head on Rei's shoulder. "I'm cold Rei." She said, her blue eyes clouded with pain and fear." Could you hold me, please?"

Ayanami put her good arm around the Redheaded Pilot. Asuka reached across and grabbed hold of the hand on Rei's injured arm and held it tightly while her other hand still clutched at her side in a vain attempt to staunch the flow of blood from her own wound.

Arm in arm the two girls sat there waiting for the end, their blood mingling as one on the floor as the mall became eerily quiet.

---------------

_**Several Months Earlier.....**_

"Guten Morgen Shinji!"

"Uhh.. Guten Morgen Asuka."

Asuka could feel the smile spreading across her face as she contemplated further taunting the shy Japanese boy.

"Hey," She said in mock scorn."Why so gloomy? I'm the most popular girl in school!" She said flicking his forehead with her middle finger. "You should appreciate your good fortune!"

"So," She continued, somewhat disappointed not to get more of a rise out of Shinji. "Where's the other one?"

"O..other one?" Shinji replied, perplexed.

"What are you stupid? I'm talking about the First Child of course!"

"Oh, Ayanami? Um.. "Shinji trailed off as he stared at something below the level of the pedestrian walkway that they were standing on.

Asuka followed his gaze to the slight, blue haired figure sitting alone and otherwise unregarded on a bench at the bottom of the escalator. Rei Ayanami, the mysterious First Child. The Child that was spoken of only in hushed tones around the halls and laboratories of the NERV branch in Germany. Never one to pass up a chance to create a new ally or alternately gauge a potential adversary Asuka made a beeline for the girl, preparing to hit her with the full onslaught of the famous Soryu charm.

"Hi, you must be Rei Ayanami, the pilot of the Prototype." Began Asuka before stumbling slightly over her words as a pair of striking red eyes regarded her coolly. "I.. I'm Asuka Langley Soryu, let's be good friends!"

"What for?" The girl's eyes never left hers for a second.

That was not the answer Asuka had been expecting. Taken aback, but determined to plough on regardless, she ramped up the charm offensive an extra notch.

"Because it would be... convenient!"

Rei regarded the stranger evenly, her mind processing the unusual request. Most of her classmates treated her with the indifference that they thought she gave to them. But her classmates were wrong. She was far from indifferent to them and their existences. Her life, such as it was, had not equipped her with the skills to deal with and interact with them in any meaningful way. Life, for Rei Ayanami, was an unaltered cycle of NERV testing, Piloting Eva and school. Commander Ikari was the closest thing she had to a confidant, and even her dealings with him were sparse and solely related to her effectiveness at piloting Eva.

Only Shinji had ever shown her anything approaching actual kindness or friendship, and though their interactions were admittedly awkward, she secretly treasured the memory of each one. Each conversation they had brought her attention further from herself and the mere functionality of living and out into observing the wider world.

This brought her back to the girl in front of her. A girl who was beginning to fidget awkwardly as Rei took more and more time to answer. Rei wished she could discuss what she should do with Shinji. He might have been able to tell her what would be an appropriate response to the Redhead's question. Still, a crowd was starting to gather around the two pilots, and Shinji was still standing atop the footbridge with his two friends.

Taking her interactions with Shinji as a guide she gave the best answer she felt she could.

"Very well Pilot Soryu, I will be your friend. What shall we do now?"

"Ah.." Asuka said surprised to finally have an answer."Okay. um.. We should go to the mall after school! You do go to the mall don't you?"

"I have not been, but I believe I know where the shopping complex is located. What do you wish to purchase there?"

Asuka blinked slowly. Was this girl simply dense or was she making fun of her? She decided to ignore the question. With a sigh she ploughed on.

"So, meet me outside the front entrance, four thirty sharp! I'll see you there First!"

"Very well Pilot Soryu. I will meet you there."

"Call me Asuka," She said with a smile." we're friends now!" She waved to the blue haired girl as she made her escape from the increasingly awkward encounter. Looking back as she walked away she could see that the First Child had returned to reading her book all alone on the bench.

'Sheesh' Asuka thought to herself. 'That was weird! Obviously she's not a morning person!'

-----------

Kaji put the binoculars down on the passenger seat of his car and rubbed his hand across his stubbled chin. He shouldn't have been surprised at Asuka's behaviour. Outwardly the girl had more front than the Daimaru department store. Only people that knew her as well Kaji did could see the brittle and rather immature little girl that the brash self confidence hid.

While he hadn't been able to hear the interchange between the two girls, it seemed to him to have gone well. Better than he could have hoped. Looking through the binoculars again he could see that Asuka was walking jauntily through the gate of the Tokyo-3 Middle School and even Rei, having finally put her book away and also heading towards the School, seemed to have a thoughtful expression with something that may have been bordering on a smile on her face as she finally disappeared through the gate and into the hurley-burley of the school day.

It would seem that her interactions with the Third Child had made more of an impact than anyone could have guessed.

It would be interesting to see how the Commander would take this unexpected development. Kaji could see a heavyset man in sunglasses and a black suit standing outside the school and talking on his cell phone.

Chances were he already knew all about it.

End of first Chapter.

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Well that's Chapter 1 down!

I hope you liked it. Please review and tell me your thoughts. Pretty please!

I'm hoping to make this about 5-6 chapters or so. I'm already a fair way down the track on chapter 2. With even a little omake fun!

I don't have a pre-reader but I think that I could probably do with one, ne? ;)

If you'd like to help please feel free to contact me at: .au

Ja matta

Greenfang


	2. Sour Girl

**My Iron Lung**

**By Greenfang**

**Chapter 2 - Sour Girl**

Greenfang owns not the angsty goodness of Evangelion nor any of its characters. If those that do own object then I will remove this.

------------------------------

"Ayanami."

"Yes."

"Come with me. Commander's orders."

"Yes."

Asuka watched in confusion as Rei was led off by the large man in the generic black suit and dark sunglasses.

"What's going on Asuka?" Hikari Horaki asked her worriedly.

"I... I don't know." Asuka replied. The slight figure of the blue haired girl and her escort quickly disappeared into the crowd.

Hikari and Asuka had only just arrived at the entrance to the mall a few minutes earlier. The two girls had quickly become friends during the day at school. Beneath the Class Representative's bossy exterior was a shy girl who was eager to please and gain the approval of those around her. Asuka liked that in a friend. Not to mention they shared one important love: Shopping. The suggestion of an expedition to the mall had been music to the brown haired girl's ears.

Rei had been there waiting for them just as she had said she would be.

"Good afternoon Pilot Soryu. Good afternoon Class Representative Horaki."

"Geez, "Asuka had replied. "Let's keep it informal shall we First? My friends call me Asuka. If you're gonna be my friend then you had better start too!"

Rei hadn't replied but had seemed to be giving this foreign concept her full concentration when the Section 2 'Goon' had appeared. The rest, as they say, was history. Asuka and Hikari stood bewildered as the First Child was quickly removed from their presence.

"Well," Asuka said after several moments of uncomfortable silence."No point letting the rest of the afternoon go to waste, let's hit the mall!"

Hikari's face relaxed and she smiled at Asuka."Ready when you are!" She said enthusiastically.

The two girls quickly disappeared into the throng of evening shoppers.

From his vantage point on the second floor another Section 2 agent took out his cell phone, dialled, and spoke briefly into it. After a short one way conversation he hung up, put the phone back into his pocket and unhurriedly made his way down towards the exit.

------------------------------

The enormous office always felt cold and lifeless whenever Rei was summoned to it. There were only the faint vibrations from the fans in the air conditioning ducts moving the stale air around to counter the apparent sterility of the room.

The Commander sat at his desk in front of where she stood. Sub Commander Fuyutsuki was by his side as always. Neither of them had given her the slightest regard since she had entered. The Supreme Commander of NERV just sat there, deep in thought. The Systema Sephirotica sprawled out on the ceiling above him. Small motes of dust moved languidly in the air.

"Rei." Gendo finally spoke without looking up.

"Yes sir."

"Do you know why you are here?"

"No sir."

"Why were you standing outside of the Retail Precinct this afternoon?"

"I had arranged to meet with the Second Child after school for the purpose of 'Shopping'. She had expressed a desire for the two of us to become 'friends' earlier in the day. Apparently this was to be facilitated by us purchasing goods together at the Shopping Complex."

"I see." Gendo said impassively. "Why did you agree to do this? Surely there is nothing that you 'need' to purchase at the mall that you do not already have supplied for you by NERV?"

"That is true sir. However friendship is not something I have had before. I was curious to experience all that it entailed for myself."

"I see. What did you hope to gain by this supposed 'friendship' with the Second Child?"

"I do not know Commander. The Second Child herself suggested that our friendship would be 'convenient' although what she meant by that I am not sure. As I have said, I have not experienced friendship before, but all of the books that I have read concerning the subject speak very highly of it."

"Let me tell you about friendship." Gendo said. "Friendship will not help you to pilot the Evangelion any more effectively. Friendship will not further the cause of Humanity or the Instrumentality project. Friendship," The Commander continued with some rancour." Will not protect you from the Angels nor will it prevent the loss of a single Human Life from their attacks. In these times a friend is a burden that clouds your objective judgement and holds you back from your duty to me, the Instrumentality Project and NERV, in that order. A friend is a luxury that I cannot afford you to have, Rei. That is all I have to say."

"I understand sir." Rei replied. "If Pilot Soryu wishes to pursue the matter?"

"I don't think I need to tell you what to do in that case."

"Understood."

"You may leave, Rei."

"Thank you sir."

With that Rei turned from the Commander and quickly exited the room.

Fuyutsuki finally broke his silence. "Don't you feel that you were a little harsh? Despite everything, she is just a girl. It can't be easy to be alone in the World at her age."

Gendo smiled to himself. "You are getting soft, Professor. I would have thought that you understood the potential dangers to the scenario involved in losing control of Rei. Anyway, we all are alone in this life. To think otherwise is delusion."

The old professor just sighed. Not for the first or last time he wished that he had stayed as senior lecturer in bio-engineering at Kyoto University. The post Second Impact World was no place for a man with scruples. No matter how compromised they were.

------------------------------

Asuka lapped it all up. Friends. Friends meant allies; friends meant popularity, friends meant appreciation and friends meant that you were admired and that you mattered. Without friends to surround you and to tell you how great you were, how else could you be sure that you actually existed?

Needless to say that Asuka was quickly becoming the most popular girl in class. Beautiful, exotic and intelligent, with a personality to match, lesser lights flocked to her and she was soon surrounded by more friends and hangers-on than she could cope with. Apart from Hikari of course, who had rapidly turned into her only real confidant, the other girls were more interested in her for the kudos of having such a powerful friend and ally. That didn't bother Asuka one bit. All of them were useful in their own way.

In class 2-A the other girls gathered around Asuka like moths to a flame. As she had walked in and sat down before morning classes they had flocked around her asking her questions about the Evas, Boyfriends back in Germany and a myriad of other questions about the minutiae of her life.

The hubbub ceased momentarily as Ayanami walked in. Asuka was surprised to see several of the girls around her directing barely disguised glares in the blue haired girl's vicinity before gossip and banter resumed among the class as Rei sat down at her desk by the window.

"Excuse me for a second." Asuka said to her acolytes.

She walked over to where Rei was sitting.

"So, First. "She said. "We missed you at the mall yesterday. What happened?"

Asuka found herself under the level gaze of the First Child. Her vivid red eyes regarded her for several seconds before the she finally dropped her head down to her desk.

"I was unable to come with you yesterday Pilot Soryu. I apologize."

"Well," Said Asuka cheerfully, ignoring the formality. "As you can see First, demand for my company has skyrocketed. But for this one time only," She continued with a dramatic sweep of her arm. "I'm repeating my offer of the privilege of my company at the mall this afternoon. What do you say to that, First?"

"No."

Asuka sagged like a leaky air mattress. "What did you say!? No?"

"No Pilot Soryu. I will not go with you to the shopping complex."

"Fine!" Said Asuka, quickly regaining her composure."So sorry for trying to be your friend _First_. God only knows I don't see anyone else queuing up for the honour!"

If Asuka hadn't been so annoyed she may have noticed a slight tinge of sadness in Ayanami's eyes.

"That is true Pilot Soryu. However it is also true that I cannot be your friend."

Asuka's blue eyes flashed and her mouth worked up and down as her brain momentarily struggled to supply it with the words to express the anger she was feeling at this rejection. The classroom had grown deathly silent as the other students watched transfixed at the confrontation between the Red irresistible force and the Blue immovable object. Finally Asuka leant forward and spoke very softly to Ayanami.

"Fine then First Child!" She said through gritted teeth. "I've done all I can or ever want to do for you. I've got all the friends I need. Just because you're the Commander's pet you think you're better than me. Well... I've got a newsflash for you, you're not better than me and you never will be! You'll regret the day you lost the friendship of Asuka Langley Soryu. Goodbye First Child. I hope you have fun over here all on your own!"

Rei simply stared expressionlessly at her before turning and gazing out of the window.

Asuka regained her composure and made her way back to her new circle of friends around her desk. It was not long she was holding court amongst her new circle of admirers and chatting and gossiping as happily as she had been before. Only Hikari thought that she could see how forced that the redhead's laughter had become, or how several of her new 'friends' were now looking at Rei Ayanami with something bordering contempt.

She felt deep within her soul that nothing good would come of this.

------------------------------

Shinji couldn't help but feel that he should somehow try to smooth the waters between his two female co-pilots. The young Ikari hated conflict and confrontation with every fibre of his being, and would usually go to any lengths to avoid it in his vicinity. So it was that at morning recess he found himself standing in front of Asuka's desk, squirming as he felt the heat of her gaze and the amused attention of her entourage of teenage girls as they watched him attempt to talk to her about the situation with Rei.

"Yes, Shinji?" Asuka said in her sweetest, most dangerous voice."How may I help you?"

"Um... yeah... Um Asuka. It's about Ayanami..."His voice trailed off under her intense scrutiny.

"Yes _Third_ Child, what about her?" He could just about feel the icicles hanging off the words. Several of her entourage giggled at his discomfort.

It...It's just that... Um... Well she... "

"Out with it Shinji, grow a pair and tell me already!" More giggling at his expense.

"Well... We all have to pilot the Evas and um... Well wouldn't it be easier if we um... If we all got along together?"

"Listen Third Child," She said leaning forward. "don't come snivelling to _me _about how First and I have to _get along! _I have tried to be nice to that blue haired freak! I've even tried to be her friend for God's sake! She is the one that isn't interested in _getting along_, as you so feebly put it, why don't you go and talk to your precious Rei about it? I'm all done with charity cases for today, thanks all the same!"

"Ss... Sorry Asuka." Shinji replied limply and quickly scurried back to where Toji and Kensuke had been watching him with mocking pity on their faces. He may have hated conflict, but more than that he also hated being embarrassed in front of girls.

"Man," Said Toji. "What were you thinking? You can't face down the devil in its lair! You could have been pulverised!"

"I heard that, Meathead!" shouted Asuka from across the classroom.

"I know Toji." Said Shinji in reply to his friend. "But Ayanami looked so alone over there. I thought if I could make them become friends, well, life would become easier for me, well all of us I guess."

"Check out Shinji the Casanova over here Kensuke! He wants both hot pilots girls to be all lovey-dovey with him in one big Evangelion smoochfest!"

"That's ok by me!" Returned Kensuke."As long as he leaves Miss Misato for the real men!"

"Hehe, you said it man! He can have Devil Girl and Silent Blue here and leave the real Women to us!"

Shinji ignored his friends as they high-fived and hooted next to him. Surely life couldn't get any more complicated than it already was?

As if in answer to his thoughts, the chatter of school children was interrupted by the simultaneous ringing of three cell phones.

Shinji sighed to himself as he and the two other pilots gathered their things and headed towards the NERV entry point just near their school.

The Angels, as always, had an impeccable sense of timing.

--------------------------------

**End of Chapter 2**

Hi again, Thanks for checking this out!

Thank you to those that left feedback for chapter 1 also! Very much appreciated. This was just a short one that really serves the purpose of setting up what comes later. Planning on probably taking a couple more chapters to returning to the shootout at the start of the first chapter and then advancing the story from there to instrumentality with the significant changes to the storyline caused by these events.

Please Review!! Let me know if it's worth continuing or any criticisms or changes you would prefer. All feedback welcome!

Ja matta

Greenfang


	3. Like a Hitman, Like a Dancer

Hi again! Here's the third chapter of My Iron Lung. Sorry about the delay in publishing, had a spot o' writers block re advancing the story to where it needed to be. I think that I've managed to resolve any issues, so further updates should be much quicker in future!

As Always I do not own Evangelion or anything related to it. Gainax do, and all power to them for it!

* * *

**Like a Hitman, Like a Dancer**

Dawn crawled across the leaden sky, the grey of yet another Tokyo 3 night giving way to a dawn of an insipid yellow haze.

Rei Ayanami stood naked at her apartment window, one hand resting against the filthy glass pane. Most of the city was still asleep. Sleep had brought no comfort or release to the blue haired girl. No dreams or nightmares had haunted her slumber. There was nothing, just an empty and hollow blackness that filled the hours between her days on this Earth.

_Nothing _she thought, _nothing comes from nothing._

Truly her life was an exercise in nihilism. Her life was of no intrinsic value; her actions were of no consequence. Whatever relationships she had in the World outside served no purpose. She existed only to do _His_ bidding. Anything outside of that was meaningless. No friendships or closeness to others would further the Commander's plans for her.

_Friendship_. It was an alien concept to her. Yet it also held an undeniable attraction to the girl. Shinji seemed to gain great enjoyment from the company of his two friends, Aida and Suzuhara. As did the Second Child in her association with Class Representative Horaki. No such luxuries of Human Companionship were to be allowed her it would seem.

An almost imperceptible frown crossed her alabaster features. The Second Child was still angry with her for the refusal of her friendship. Throughout the several Angel attacks since that time the redheaded pilot had grown more and more hostile to Rei's presence, even as the relationship, such as it was, between the Second and Third Children had grown closer. Rei could only look on impassively, her true feelings blocked behind a glass wall of obedience and loneliness. She felt no bitterness or anger though, after all, that was just the way things were. The way_ He_ willed them to be.

She stared out of her grimy apartment window down to the street below. As was usual for this district of Tokyo 3, the morning street was devoid of human life or activity. There was none of the early morning bustle you would expect from a thriving Technopolis. The street was completely empty but for the black Mercedes van parked across the street. She narrowed her eyes. Only Section 2 would use such unsubtle methods. It was not enough to be watched, you also had to know that you were being watched.

As she looked on a heavyset man in sunglasses and a generic black suit opened the sliding door in the side of the black van and stepped out onto the street. Rei watched as he conspicuously lit a cigarette and stood out in the middle of the street smoking.

The man took his time finishing his cigarette, finally grinding it out with his foot on the roadway. The man then looked straight up at her window, raised his right hand to his forehead in a kind of mock salute, turned around and then got back into the van, sliding the door shut behind him.

Within thirty seconds of his shutting the door the van started up and drove away, disappearing around the next corner.

Rei continued staring out of the window for several more minutes. The black van did not return. Eventually she turned from the window and went into her apartment to shower and ready herself for another school day.

* * *

This was one of the less glamorous aspects of being a spy. This and also the endless photocopying.

Ryougi Kaji grunted as he slid the last three metres down the service shaft and landed awkwardly at the bottom. His shirt and hands were caked in grease and dirt from the long hot climb down to this level, and his ponytail was decidedly askew. He only hoped that it would be worth it.

Instinctively crouching as he made his way down the narrow corridor he kept a careful lookout for any sign of danger or trouble. Eventually he made it to the end of the corridor and into a large chamber.

-STRANGENESS –

Well, that seemed appropriate. It certainly was a weird place to have what appeared to be a hospital room designed by H.R. Giger. Grime and filth covered the metal walls, and strange pipes and conduits snaked off to who knew where.

Kaji rifled through the drawers and cupboards in the chamber. No too much of interest here. Unused syringes in one drawer, bandages and dressings in another. One of the larger cupboards had half a dozen school uniform dresses and blouses hanging up in it. It was the same uniform as the school the Children went to. _This just gets_ _weirder and weirder_. Kaji thought to himself.

Kaji's thoughts were immediately interrupted by a faint noise from down the hallway he had just come from. It was the unmistakeable sound of the lift coming to a halt and the doors sliding open. He quickly drew his sidearm and hid himself behind one of the large cabinets in the near corner of the chamber.

From his vantage point Kaji could see the beige uniformed figure walking through the chamber and quickly on and into the doorway on the other side. Kaji followed several seconds behind him.

_What was a junior NERV technician doing in this place?_ Kaji thought as he went through the door and crept down the dark corridor that was behind it. He ducked down as the lights in the room at the end of the corridor flickered into life and he carefully crept up to where he could see in but the occupant of the room would have difficulty in discerning his presence.

The beige uniformed man set up a laptop on one of the benches next to what appeared to be an enormous tank of a dull reddish liquid. He then patched a cable into a socket in the side of the tank and pressed a button. Immediately a rapid stream of figures scrolled across the screen of the computer as whatever the information the man wanted downloaded onto it.

Kaji retreated into the shadows as the man turned around. The ponytailed agent was more than a little surprised. He _knew_ this man. _Hironobu Kitaogi_. He was one of the junior Bridge Bunnies and had only transferred over from Matsushiro just over a month ago. This was definitely not right. There was no way in hell that someone so junior in the organisation had access to one of the most classified areas on the Planet. As far as he knew only three people, not including himself of course, actually knew it even _existed_.

Kaji raised his gun and stepped out of the shadows.

"Good morning, Hiro-kun," Kaji said as calmly as he could. "Would you mind telling me what the Hell you're doing?"

The man started for a moment, and then smiled at him.

"Ah, the famous double agent Ryougi Kaji! You honour me by your presence."

"Don't try to be cute, Kitaogi. Although I doubt that is even your real name. What_ I_ am is of no consequence here. What _you_ are up to is what you are going to tell me before I lose patience and put several holes on your smarmy face!"

"Ah, the famous Ryougi Charm!" The man replied. "No wonder all the ladies swoon!"

"I'm losing patience."

"You know why I'm here Kaji." Kitaogi sneered. "We're not so different, you and I; just the name on the cheques is different. _You _work for the Japanese Government, while _I, _well let's just say that I work for a much loftier organisation."

"SEELE." Kaji said. It wasn't a question.

Kitaogi smiled. "Very good, I see that I have somewhat underestimated you Ryougi. You must then realise that the abomination Ikari has created cannot be allowed to continue. My masters and I will make sure of that."

"You mean the Evangelions?" Kaji replied, puzzled. "SEELE has just as much responsibility and more blood on its hands than Commander Ikari does. Why their sudden attack of ethics at this late stage?"

The other man laughed out loud.

"I fail to see any great cause for amusement, Kitaogi." Kaji snarled.

"Oh, but there is, my friend, there really is."

"Would you care to enlighten me?"

"I'll do more than that!" Kitaogi exclaimed, pressing a button on the console next to the red tank.

Kaji cocked his pistol at the man's sudden movement, before gasping in horror and bewilderment at the scene that unfolded before him.

The dull red glow of the tank was replaced by a lighter orange yellow as unseen lights above the tank flickered into life. Floating in the tank before him was Rei Ayanami, or more accurately eight Rei Ayanamis.

There were eight nude Rei Ayanamis floating in the tank before him, smiling empty soulless smiles and staring at him with empty soulless eyes.

Kaji lowered his gun as he stared dumbfounded at the eight exact copies of the First Child stared back at him.

"What... What is this?" He finally spat out.

"This," Kitaogi said grandly. "Is Gendo Ikari's Ultimate path to Godhood! Rei Ayanami, the girl who does not exist. No records of her parents or her birth exist, or have ever existed. Why? _Because she was never born_. She was created, here in this very facility, by Gendo Ikari in an arrogant attempt to cheat his Masters and gain the ultimate power, to blasphemously put himself in the place of God, no less!"

"I still don't understand."

"It doesn't matter Kaji, you'll never need to. As we speak a team is on its way to pick up the actual Miss Ayanami as she makes her way to school, and as for the spares.... "

Kitaogi pressed a button on his computer screen and the room was filled with a shrill giggling as the multiple Rei Ayanamis began to disintegrate within the viscous yellow fluid that they were suspended in.

"What are you doing?" Kaji asked in horror raising his gun.

"Ending the abomination of Ikari and returning my Masters' scenario to its proper path. And you my friend, can be there with me. My Masters could use another pair of eyes on Ikari, and it would be a shame for someone of your, shall we say talents, to have to disappear."

Kaji had to mentally shake himself free of the horror that was unfolding in the giant tank behind Kitaogi. He rapidly gathered his senses.

"You talk big for someone with a gun pointed at his head." Kaji gestured with his gun. "Now if you'd come with me, I would rather continue this little discussion somewhere rather more to my liking. I'd prefer _not _have to use this."

"You won't shoot me Ryougi. That's not really your style. Anyway, you and I are not the only ones at NERV playing for more than one team. You'd be _surprised_ where my friends can be found." Kitaogi said, his eyes flicking to the corridor behind Kaji.

Kaji's highly trained reflexes sprang into action before his brain even had time to process what was happening. He ducked and rolled onto his back as the unseen man behind him swung at him with a knife. Two deafening shots rang out as Kaji fired point blank from where he was on the floor into his assailant's chest. The man crashed to the floor next to him.

Kaji rolled to his left as a bullet ricocheted of the metal floor, his combat training and reflexes taking over completely as he fired once towards the place where the sound of the shot had come from. He watched from the floor as Hironobu Kitaogi stood motionless for several seconds, before finally his knees gave way and he crumpled to the floor. Blood was running from a small neat hole in the centre of his forehead.

"You'll find that I'm full of surprises, Hiro-kun." Kaji said getting back to his feet.

The pony-tailed agent quickly gathered up Kitaogi's laptop, gun and pass key. He may as well take the main lift up to Central Dogma. He flipped open his cell-phone as he walked back to the Liftwell. _No Signal, Dammit! _He thought to himself. He'd have to wait until he got higher up into the Geofront before he could contact Misato. He had to make sure that the Children, especially Rei, were safe from SEELE and their goons. He stepped into the lift, pressed the 'UP' button and began the long ascent to the top.

Back in Terminal Dogma, behind Kitaogi's slumped body, the last remnants of eight Rei Ayanamis had finally dissolved into the fluid of the tank.

* * *

Asuka stomped her way to school that morning. Alone.

She didn't know how far Shinji was behind her, and she didn't care. That little dweeb could walk to school _without_ the pleasure of her company today, and forever as far as she was concerned. Her mind seethed when she thought how deliberately he had turned on the hot water to do the breakfast dishes while _she _had been only twenty five minutes into her morning shower. _Stupid jerk._ The redhead had been in the middle of rinsing the conditioner from her gorgeous red hair when suddenly, and catastrophically, the water had turned icy cold. Of course she had screamed and run out into the kitchen dripping wet and wrapped only in a towel. Of course the spineless nitwit had apologised and denied the fact that he had blatantly done it on purpose. And of _course _that tramp Misato had sided with her precious Shinji Kun. Of course Asuka had stormed off to school without waiting for that idiot, Shinji, or saying goodbye to his number one fan, Misato.

_Well they can all go to Hell!_ She thought to herself sourly.

She continued tramping down the sidewalk towards the Zebra Crossing, muttering German curses at the unfairness and selfishness of the World all the way. In fact she was so consumed with her own rather unpleasant thoughts the she only just saw the white delivery van speeding through the crossing just in time to jump back to the kerb and avoid being run down.

"Hey! Watch where you're driving, Arschloch!" She yelled angrily at the van, shaking her fist.

For a second a small butterfly of fear flapped in her stomach as the white van came to a stop about thirty metres down the road from the crossing. But then she relaxed as she saw the driver had actually stopped to talk to a figure walking down the street in front of her. _Hold on one second,_ she thought as she recognised the figure, _They're talking to Ayanami! _As she watched a man came out of the sliding side door to the windowless white van and began speaking to the blue haired First Child._ Something weird is going on here!_

_----------  
_

"Excuse me, Miss?"

Rei Ayanami stopped walking and turned to face the direction that the strange voice had come from. A white delivery van had pulled up to the kerb next to where she had been walking to school. Leaning out of the passenger window was a burly man with short cropped red hair.

"Could you direct me to Shibuse, Miss?" The man asked in heavily accented Japanese. "I seem to have lost my bearings in this city."

Rei frowned. "I am afraid that you are many kilometres away from your destination." She replied."The Shibuse district you seek is in the opposite direction from the one in which you are currently travelling."

The side door of the delivery van slid open and another more slightly built man stepped out holding what appeared to be a cellular phone.

"Would you mind coming with us to show us how to get there, Miss?" The man said holding out his hand to Rei.

"No, I cannot." She replied. "I must be at my school in ten minutes, and also I do not know you and therefore cannot be sure of your intentions towards me."

Strangely, the man smiled. "That's what I thought you might say." He pressed a button on the device he was holding, causing two thin metal prongs to snap up from the end of it.

More quickly than Rei could react the man grabbed her shoulder and forcefully shoved the prongs into her ribs. There was a sudden loud crackle of electricity and an incredible pain in her side as Rei felt her body go rigid and then being lowered to the pavement by her attacker before the World went black.

The man bent over her still twitching unconscious body.

"I didn't want to have to do it this way Miss Ayanami, but I have my orders! Hans!" He called to the red haired man in the passenger seat. "Help me get her in the back of the va- oof!!" The rest his order was cut off as an expertly used foot was kicked up into his groin from behind, causing him to collapse in a foetal ball on the ground.

"Get away from her you pervert!" Asuka cried as she kicked the man for a second time. He screamed in agony. "That'll teach you to molest defenceless young girls!" The redheaded girl yelled at him.

The man tried to get to his feet but was once again levelled by another mighty Soryu foot to the nether regions. The man screamed for a third time.

"Hans!" He yelled between gasps for air, "Kill this fucking little bitch!"

The redheaded man got out of the passenger seat and drawing a large hunting knife closed on the German girl. Asuka placed herself over Rei's prone form and took up a defensive stance. _Mein Gott, he's huge! _She thought to herself. _Why isn't Stupid Shinji here? Just like him to leave me to defend Wondergirl all by myself!_

"Come on now little girlie," The big man said menacingly. "This won't hurt, _much!"_

Asuka braced herself for the first onslaught. She knew she stood little chance against the brute, but mortal enemy Wondergirl or not, she'd be damned if she leave Rei to the clutches of these perverts! She got ready to launch the first attack. She always held that the best defence was a good offence.

The man drew closer to Asuka as his companion finally, and painfully, got to his feet.

"Goodbye Miss Soryu."

Asuka started. How did these goons know who she was? What was going on here?

Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud _**Crack!**_ and the large man with the knife's forehead exploded with gore as he collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut.

"Freeze!"

Asuka spun around to see the sweetest sight she thought that she had ever seen, as three black suited Section 2 men closed on her position with guns drawn.

The remaining attacker dived for the open door of the white van as the unseen driver gunned the engine and the van roared off down the street.

The three Section 2 men fired at the retreating back of the white van, smashing the back window as it careered around the corner.

"Are you okay Miss Soryu?" One of the Section 2 Goons asked her as one of the others called for the NERV Emergency Medical Response Team. The German girl felt a massive wave of relief wash over her.

"I'm f-fine!" Asuka managed to grit out between her teeth, which had begun to chatter uncontrollably. Why did she feel so cold suddenly? "About f-fucking time you g-guys showed up!"

Asuka knelt down next to the prone form of the First Child. Cradling the blue haired girls head on her lap and stroking her hair with shaking hands. She was still sitting like that when the Nerv ambulance came for Rei, quickly placing the First Child onto the gurney and into the back of the Ambulance

"Miss," One of the Ambulance drivers said to her. "You'll need to come with us too."

Asuka just nodded dumbly and climbed into the Ambulance.

**End chapter Three**

A/N: Well, finally got another chapter out of the old brain box. My plans for the next chapter are well advanced. So hopefully it won't be too far off. I had written myself into a plot corner which I couldn't overcome for a while, but now that I've managed to resolve that I think we'll be able to get into the meat, so to speak, of the story in the next chapter! It's an ambitious plan for the chapter, but it will finally close the loop to the first scene in chapter one.

In fact to prove it I'll put a little preview of a scene about halfway through chapter four in just as a bit of a teaser!!

* * *

**Preview of Chapter Four**

Asuka drew in a ragged breath, clutching at her side as the pain in her ribs drove through her like an iron spike and the dark red bloodstain spread further through her white school blouse.

Rei Ayanami looked up at her from where she slumped against the shelving of the bookstand, her right arm hanging at an awkward angle by her side.

"Asuka, give me your gun."

Asuka opened her mouth to question her friends' request, but one look at Rei's pale determined face, with the bright red smear of Asuka's own bloody handprint smudged on her cheek turning black as it mingled with the girl's blue hair, stopped her protest before it started.

Without question she handed the pistol over to Rei.

* * *

Ja.

Greenfang.


End file.
